- Opposition parties decry high electricity tariffs in the Western Cape
- The City implemented a 13.1% increase in tariffs in July
- Residents have protested the tariff increment calling it, unaffordable
The opposition parties in the Westen Cape Legislature have decried the recent increment in electricity tariffs implemented by the City of Cape Town. General-Secretary, Brett Herron stated that the increments were unaffordable to residents and sought to know the measures put in place by the City to assist residents who couldn’t cope with the increments.
According to Herron, “Residents are struggling, and the MEC and the DA don’t care. The fact that the question was answered is surprising, since the City has refused to answer all of my parliamentary questions claiming they are a separate sphere of government and not accountable. It seems the MEC picks and chooses what questions to answer.”
Answering questions before members of the Legislature, Local Government and Environment MEC Anton Bredell stated that the increments were in response to the national increments approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). “This means the cost to the City is more to buy electricity than cities situated closer to Eskom generation plants. The City has indicated that all income from electricity sales go towards the provision of service delivery,” Bredell said.
The City has, however, maintained that its tariffs do not have any hidden charges and are not the highest among the Municipals.